Paper Butterflies
by CelestialMoon17
Summary: Sakura has a new job, but her co-worker has a problem with her; will Syaoran be able to help fix things? S&S


Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or any of the characters. The only thing I own is the plot

Note: This is an A/U story, so the cards and keroberus regrettably doesn't exist in this story.

Paper Butterflies – A Sakura & Syaoran Story.

Sakura Kinomoto was excited.

She had just gotten her first job. She had just turned seventeen and was about to enter into her senior year at high school. Her marks were exemplary, which was the reason she was able to get a job in the first place. In general, students did not get a job until they graduated high school, but Sakura's father permitted her to work as long as she kept top grades.

"I can't believe I'm now a working girl!"

It was the beginning of March. Sakura was walking to work with her best friend Tomoyo Daidouji in tow. Tomoyo was trying to film Sakura as usual. The two girls had been friends for almost ten years, and Tomoyo never missed a second filming her best friend.

"Tomoyo-chan! Do you have to film me _right now?_" Sakura whined.

"Oh Sakura-chan of course I do! You never know what I might miss, and besides this is a special day. It's not every day that you get a job."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend.

"I think you can let that one go Tomoyo. I'm sure I'll have plenty of jobs when I graduate and start a career."

"Ah, but this is your _first_ job. So it deserves to be documented!" Tomoyo held up the camera, and Sakura sighed, staring into the lens.

"Ok so we're almost there-"

"So where are you working Sakura?"

Sakura now gave her friend a look of slight impatience.

"I already told you Tomoyo! Did you forget already?"

Tomoyo lowered the camera for a moment, and shook her head.

"No I didn't forget. But you should know how this works by now Sakura-chan; whenever I'm filming, I need you to provide as much detail as possible _for the camera._ It's for posterity you know?"

The girls had stopped right in front of the store where Sakura was due to start work momentarily. Sakura glanced at her watch as Tomoyo held up her camera once more.

"_Hooooee! _I'm going to be late! I'll see you later Tomoyo-chan!" and Sakura pulled open the door quickly, almost falling in the process. The door shut behind her, and Tomoyo angled the camera upwards to capture the name of the place.

It is called _Yoshi Cho. _

Yoshi Cho is a card store. It was brand new. It opened up about a year ago in the small town of Toemeda where Sakura and Tomoyo live. Given the popularity of card stores in America and Europe, they decided to try and open a store in Japan. There were already a few stores in some of the bigger cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. The store in Toemeda was the first one in a small town.

_Sakura discovered the place only a week ago. She was on her way home from the park (she still used her rollerblades as her main means of transportation) when she reached the road that took her home, she discovered it was blocked by construction, and a bunch of construction workers were looking harried and busy. She approached the group tentatively._

_"Sumimasen?* What is going on here?"_

_One of the men turned to speak to her._

_"This way is blocked Miss. We had a pipe burst this morning." He gestured around, and Sakura could now see some puddles that had not dried out yet._

_"Oh. Well my house is just past this road-"_

_"You'll have to go around. We can't let people through yet."_

_"Alright. Domo Arigatou!*" and she backtracked and rounded the first corner. She was on a street lined with stores. It was called Midori* District, and it was so aptly named for the burst of greenery in the spring and summer months._

_Sakura had not been in Midori District for several months, so she paused a moment before she started skating down the street. About halfway down the street she stopped suddenly as she spotted a store she had never seen before._

_Yoshi Cho? This looks interesting._

_She skated over to a nearby bench and sat down, digging into her bag for shoes. Once she had removed her rollerblades and put on shoes, she walked into the store._

_It was beautiful._

_There were cards everywhere. There was one whole wall dedicated to birthday cards, and there were several aisles all filled with cards. On the front display there was a table filled with adorable figurines. Sakura carefully picked one up, examining it._

_"Can I help you Miss?"_

_An older lady had approached her. Sakura started, nearly dropping the figurine, but catching it just in time._

_"Hoe! You scared me."_

_"Gomen nasai.* I did not mean to startle you. I just came by to see if you needed assistance."_

_"No I'm alright. I'm just looking. This is such a pretty store."_

_The woman smiled at her._

_"Yes it is. It's only been open for a few months, and it's pretty busy normally. You just happened to come at a rare moment of calm." There was note of exasperation in the woman's voice, which Sakura picked up on._

_"Is there someone else working with you?"_

_Now the woman sighed, and Sakura immediately felt guilty, like she had said something wrong._

_"Oh gomen-nasai! I didn't mean to offend you or anything! I was just wondering-"_

_"It's alright. Actually we are rather short staffed at the moment, so it's been hard to get things done around here, but we manage." She smiled at Sakura, who had a sudden brainwave._

_"Ano... I could work here, if you want."_

_"Nani?* You want a job here?"_

_"Yes I would love to work here. I'll just talk to my father and make sure it is ok with him."_

_"Well that's very kind of you to offer..." the woman paused for a moment, and just then the door chimed and a small crowd of people walked in._

_"I'll be right with you!" she called out, and then turned back to Sakura._

_"Tell you what; Why don't you come back here tomorrow with your resume, and then we can sit down and talk."_

_"That would be great! Domo Arigatou!" Sakura beamed, and then extended her hand, giving a small bow._

_"My name is Kinomoto Sakura."_

_"I am Takahashi Kaido." She returned the bow and gave a firm handshake._

_"I will see you soon Kinomoto-san."_

_"Most definitely."_

Now here it was, a week later and Sakura had a job.

"Ohayou gozaimasu!*" she called out as soon as she got into the door. Several customers in the store turned to look at her, and she flushed with embarrassment, but a moment later Takahashi emerged from the backroom, carrying some boxes.

"Oh good you're here Kinomoto-san." She put the boxes down by the cash desk and opened the top box, grabbing a small package.

"Here is your uniform. It is to be kept clean and orderly at all times." Takahashi then grabbed a small pile of papers that were sitting on the cash desk.

"This is the paperwork you need to fill out, and there is a training manual I would like you to read as well. The bathroom is in the back room. I need to assist these customers, but I'll come back to see you as soon as I can alright?"

"Ano.."

"Sumimasen, can I please get some help?" They turned to see a young man standing by the table with the figurines.

"I have to help this gentleman Kinomoto. Just go to the back and I will be there shortly."

"Ok." her voice was almost a whisper. Holding the package and sheaf of papers, Sakura carefully made her way through the aisles until she reached the backroom. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and sat on the first chair she could see, hardly aware of her surroundings.

_What have I done? I must have been crazy to think I could work here! Everything is so fast and scary._

Sakura took a few deep, calming breaths. A few moments later she stood up, only now noticing the environment. The backroom was essentially a large room with shelving and boxes occupying almost every inch of space. There was a narrow path to get through to the bathroom, and at the end of the room there was a door leading outside. The chair she was sitting on was an office chair, and in front of her was a large desk covered in papers, with a computer perched precariously on top of it all.

"Wow and I thought _my_ room was a mess."

Sakura made her way to the bathroom, and emerged a few moments later in her uniform. It was a pair of black pants and a white blouse, with an elegant black scarf. Upon putting on the garments, Sakura immediately felt better. It was like the uniform instilled a bit of confidence in her.

"I can totally do this job!" She pumped her fist in the air, and at that moment, the door opened and a harassed looking Takahashi came in.

"Kinomoto-san! I need you out on the floor. I've got so many people needing my help right now."

"But what about-"

"Please! Just go out there and do your best. I promise once it calms down I'll sit down with you, but right now I need your help."

"Ok..."

Sakura followed her boss outside and went to the first customer she saw.

_I just hope I don't make too many mistakes._

* * *

><p><em>What a day!<em>

Sakura flopped back onto her bed. She was utterly exhausted and on the verge of crying. It had been a very long day. She was literally thrown into the fray with no preparation, but by the end of her four hour shift Sakura thought that she was finally making some headway. Her boss had not had any time to really explain anything to her, but Sakura did pick up a few things. _What was I thinking getting a job there? I can't do it. I just can't. _

The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up on the second ring.

"Moshi Moshi.* This is Sakura speaking."

"Sakura-chan! You're home. I've been desperate to hear from you! How was your first day of work?"

Hearing her friend's familiar voice, the tears that been held at bay now spilled over.

"It _really_ sucked Tomoyo-chan."

"What's wrong Sakura? Are you crying? Come on. Tell me everything."

So Sakura launched into a tirade about her horrible day, and when she was finished, she felt much better. Tomoyo however, was outraged.

"She cannot do this to you Sakura-chan! It's totally against the rules. She needs to help you out! Especially since you're new!"

"It's alright Tomoyo-chan. It's only the first day. I'm sure tomorrow will be better." Sakura tried to sound cheerful for her friend's benefit, but Tomoyo wasn't so easily fooled.

"This really doesn't sound good at all Sakura. But if you think things will improve..."

"They will! I'm sure of it!"

"Well... alright. But if you're still having trouble by the end the week, you should really just quit. It's not worth stressing over."

"Don't worry."

They said goodbye, and Sakura sat down at her computer to check her email. There were the standard junk emails, and also one from someone she hadn't heard from in awhile- Syaoran Li.

_Hello Sakura!_

_ How're you doing? Things are going well here. They're working me pretty hard. You know; training me to be the next heir and all that. I'm hoping they'll let me have a break soon. Mother's been hinting at something big for awhile now- I hope she tells me soon. The suspense is killing me! Wow I can't believe we'll soon be in our last year of high school. Seems like just yesterday we were both twelve years old and wondering when we were going to get out of middle school. I hope to hear from you soon! Say hello to Daidouji-san for me!_

_ Your friend, _

_ Syaoran_

When Sakura finished reading the email, she sat back and closed her eyes. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth, and her cheeks were blushing pink.

_Ah Syaoran. It's been far too long._

Sakura had meet Syaoran when they were ten years old. At first they were rivals, but in time they had grown to be good friends. It was about two years later when Sakura realized that she had feelings for him. The only person who knew anything was Tomoyo, and she had tried endlessly to convince Sakura to tell him of her feelings.

In the end, she never did. Syaoran had left a year later to return to China to resume training for the family clan, and Sakura had not seen him since. They exchanged the occasional email but beyond that, nothing. She had tried to date other boys, but she didn't have strong feelings for them as she did for Syaoran. She loved him more deeply with each passing day, even though she hadn't seen him for years now.

Sakura read the email again, and then went to compose a reply. _Hmm... what to say to him? _After a few minutes of intense thinking, she wrote out an appropriate response.

_Syaoran,_

_ Thank you for the email. I hadn't heard from you in awhile. I was starting to worry a little! I am doing well. I hope you are not working __**too**__ hard on your training. You do need to rest once in awhile. I wonder what surprise your mother has for you? Please let me know when you find out. I like to share in your happiness! High school seems to have gone by far too quickly, I agree. I will tell Tomoyo-chan and the others that you say hello. I really hope that maybe one day soon we can see each other; maybe after graduation? Let me know! _

_ Your friend, Sakura_

After she hit the _send_ button, Sakura leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. Thoughts of Syaoran flooded her mind. She could see his young, boyish face the first time they met and his handsome (though still young) face when they said good-bye. So much time had passed since then...

_Kami,* I wish I could see him again. I wonder how much he's changed since our younger years?_

Little did Sakura know that her wish would soon come true.

A month passed.

After that rocky first day, things really had gotten better for Sakura at her new job. When she went into work the next day, things were much calmer and the manager was able to properly train her. Sakura soon fell into a routine with work, and everything was going along perfectly fine.

That is, until she met Noori Kamiko.

Kamiko Noori was the other employee at the store. Before Sakura had come along, it had been just Kamiko and Kaido who were working the store. However, as time passed, Kaido realized that they did need to hire someone else to help get things done. With just the two of them, things were quickly falling by the wayside. Now that Sakura was there, everything was running much smoother.

Sakura met Kamiko about two weeks after she had started. It was the first say that Sakura was not working with Takahashi. She had the day off. Sakura had heard much about Kamiko from Takahashi, and so she was expecting a nice, helpful young woman.

That was not the case.

Kamiko Noori was nice, but only to customers, and to Takahashi. She was a stunning beauty, with long flowing black hair that fell to her waist in curly waves. Her large eyes were a lovely shade of blue, and her lips were full and pouty. But her superior attitude towards others was enough to drive anyone away, and more specifically, Sakura.

Sakura was running late that day, and rushed into the store, panting and out of breath.

"You're late Kinomoto-san." Said Kamiko coldly.

"Gomen nasai! It took me a bit longer to clean the classrooms today-"

"I'm not interested in your excuses! Just hurry up and get into your work clothing. We have alot of things to do today."

Sakura made her way towards the back, her face burning with shame. She dressed in record time and was out on the floor within a minute. Kamiko practically pounced on her.

"Oh good, you're finally ready. So I need you to do everything on this list by the time you leave." She thrust a piece of paper into Sakura's hands and stalked off without another word.

Sakura read over the list, and was surprised to see the sheer amount of things she had to do. There were at least ten things.

_Wow. When I work with Takahashi-san we split the work evenly so it's no too bad. But maybe she has just as many things to do as me-_

"Hello? Can I get some help here?"

Sakura was startled out of her thoughts, and she now saw a young man waving at her from the nearby card aisle. She started to go over to him, but Kamiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"I'll handle him. You just do your job." And she made her way over to the young man, smiling and gracious.

"...Ok."

And that was how the night went. Anytime a customer approached Sakura, Kamiko would simply swoop in and take over. When there were no customers, Kamiko was hanging out by the cash register not really doing much of anything. Meanwhile, Sakura barely had time to do everything on her list.

When the shop closed for the night, Kamiko waved Sakura over to the cash register.

"So did you finish all your work?"

"Hai. I did everything on the list."

"Well let's see then."

Kamiko then proceeded to walk through the store inspecting all of Sakura's work. Sakura stayed at the register, and began doing the closing procedures. Suddenly, Kamiko came up from behind and roughly shoved her away.

"This is _my_ job. Don't _ever_ close the cash registers while i'm here. You understand?"

Sakura's face was burning, and she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder where Kamiko had pushed her.

"I asked you a question Kinomoto-san!" Kamiko was now shouting. Sakura had no choice but to respond.

"Hai. Noori-san." She whispered.

This seemed to mollify Kamiko. She resumed counting the money. Sakura simply stood there, trying not to cry. After a moment, Kamiko looked up.

"Well now that we understand each other Sakura, i'll let you know that your work tonight could have been much better. You need to work much harder if you want to continue working here."

"Gomen-nasai Noori-san." Sakura could no longer hold in her tears, and she started to cry. She buried her face in her hands to hide her deep shame.

Kamiko stopped counting and approached Sakura.

"Hey now, don't cry. You're not going to get any better at your job if you cry. You just need to buck up and get the job done."

Sakura forced herself to stop crying, and she moved away from Kamiko and went over towards the cards. She started to organize them, clearly working on autopilot at the moment.

"That's the spirit Sakura! Keep it up and you'll be better in no time."

There was an uneasy silence for the next little while. Kamiko came out from behind the cash desk.

"Alright, everything is good. You can go."

"...Hai." Sakura whispered.

"See you later." Kamiko seemed almost friendly now, but Sakura knew better. She simply gave the girl a small smile and went into the back to grab her things.

Sakura managed to stay calm until she was home. Once safely locked in her room, she dialled Tomoyo's number.

"Moshi Moshi."

The dam of tears broke and flooded through her.

"Tomoyo-chan!" she wailed, hardly discernible through her tears.

"Sakura-chan! What's wrong?"

Between bouts of crying, she managed to tell Tomoyo everything. By the time she was finished, her sobs had subsided, leaving only the occasional sniffle.

"That's terrible Sakura-chan! You should tell the manager right away!"

"I can't Tomoyo-chan. She won't believe me, and I don't want to get fired."

"I'm sure that's not true!"

"Maybe it's not, but I really don't want to say anything and cause unnecessary trouble."

"You wouldn't be causing trouble Sakura-chan! You're helping to save _yourself_ from more trouble."

"Well I don't work alone with her anymore, so I think it'll be alright."

Tomoyo sighed heavily. She loved her friend dearly, but once she set her mind to something, Sakura was very stubborn.

"I will let this go if you promise me something Sakura."

"What?"

"That if you work with her alone again, and she is horrible to you, that you _will_ tell your manager about it."

"Don't worry Tomoyo-chan. I will. I promise."

Feeling slightly better, the girls began talking about more normal things.

"So have you heard from Li-kun lately?" Tomoyo asked.

"What?" Sakura was so flustered, she almost dropped the phone. _Talk about a change of subject! _

"Li-kun? Have you had any e-mails lately?" Tomoyo repeated. Sakura could picture Tomoyo sitting on her bed, smiling serenely as she asked this innocent question.

"...Hai. He e-mailed me the other day. I sent a reply. "

"Well that's nice. I'm glad you've kept in touch all this time."

Suddenly, Sakura was suspicious.

"Where are you going with this Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo smiled to herself, glad to have distracted her friend from her work troubles.

"I have to go now Sakura-chan. I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"Tomoyo-chan!"

She hung up and Sakura heard the dial tone. She heaved a sigh. Calling Tomoyo back was useless. She knew her friend wouldn't answer. Sakura flopped back on the bed, and happened to catch sight of her clock.

_Hoe! Is it really ten thirty already? I need to finish up some homework and go to bed!_

And so the rest of the night proceeded without any further thought of work, as Sakura finished up the rest of her homework and went to bed, trying to figure out if Tomoyo had meant anything about her comment about 'keeping in touch' with Syoaran.

_Two Weeks Later_

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the leaves on the tress were just starting to turn a lovely shade of orange. The air had an autumn feeling to it, very fresh and crisp.

Tomoyo was walking along Midori District. She was alone, which was rare for her, but she was on a mission. It was Sakura's birthday in a few days, and she wanted to buy her friend a gift. After school had ended for the day, Tomoyo had made an excuse about 'being needed at home' and she left quickly.

_I want to check out where Sakura works and see Noori-san for myself. _

As is turned out, Tomoyo didn't get the chance. She was deep in thought, thinking about Sakura's current situation, so she didn't see him until she bumped into him.

"Sumimasen."

"Daidouji-san?" A deep voice asked.

Tomoyo looked up. The voice belonged to a young man of about seventeen. He was tall with a lean, athletic build. His messy brown hair fell across his face, and he reached up to brush it away. Intense amber eyes stared into Tomoyo's violet ones.

_Can it be? _She thought.

"...Li-kun?"

"Hai." He replied. Syaoran was completely unprepared for her hug, and almost fell over.

"Wow. It really _is_ you!" Tomoyo exclaimed as soon as she let him go. Syaoran chuckled a bit, and the pair started walking towards the nearest cafe.

"How are you Daidouji-san?"

"Please, we've been friends for so long you can call me Tomoyo-chan."

"Alright... Tomoyo-chan. How are you?" he repeated his question.

"I am very well. I'm sure you're dying to know how Sakura-chan is."

A blush appeared on his face, and he looked flustered.

"Um... No... What-"

"Relax Li-kun. She's fine. Sakura is doing very well. She actually has a part-time job."

"That's wonderful. Where is she working?"

Tomoyo smiled serenely.

"She works in a very nice little shop. So why are you here?" she asked abruptly, but Syaoran wasn't nearly as fazed by her sudden change of subject this time.

"I have finished the required training, and I'm moving back here to finish my last year of high school."

Tomoyo clapped her hands together in delight.

"That's wonderful! Sakura-chan will be so happy to see you! Especially since her birthday is in two days!"

There was another blush on Syaoran's face, but he was smiling.

"I figured i'd surprise her with my homecoming."

"Well she'll sure be surprised alright! You should go get her a card."

"Is there a card shop around here?"

"Hai. It's just over there." Tomoyo pointed to the very store that Sakura worked at. _I can't wait to see her reaction when she sees Li-kun!_

Syaoran glanced at his watch, and gave a cry of surprise.

"Is it that late already! I promised Wei-san that I would be home by five. I'll get her a card tomorrow. Thanks Tomoyo-chan. I'll see you soon."

"Alright then. Ja ne."

The two friends parted; Tomoyo could barely hold in her glee. _ I seriously can't believe that Li-kun is here! _She completely forgot about her mission to scope out Sakura's place of work, and headed home, her mind already piecing together a design for a dress she wanted Sakura to wear.

_This is going to be wonderful! I can't wait for tomorrow!_

_The Next Day_

"Bye Tomoyo-chan! I'll see you later alright?"

"Goodbye Sakura-chan! Have a good shift." Tomoyo gave her a serene smile.

Sakura smiled at her friend and walked into the store. When the door closed behind her, Sakura found herself ruminating over the puzzling events of the day.

Tomoyo was clearly up to something; Sakura recognized that smile from their early days. It was a smile that wasn't as innocent as it seemed. There was also the fact that Tomoyo had been acting very strangely since the night before- she had been vague about what she was doing, and Tomoyo was _never_ vague about anything.

_Well I guess I'll find out sooner or later what's going on. I hope it's sooner though. _Sakura was so distracted with her thoughts she didn't see Kamiko until she was nearly tripping over her.

"Watch yourself Kinomoto-san. We don't need any more accidents today."

"Kamiko-san! Gomen Nasai! Are you alright?" Sakura asked, terrified that she had hurt the other girl somehow.

"_I'm_ fine, but unfortunately, Takahashi is not. Her mother had an accident this morning; she fell down her stairs and broke her hip. So it's just the two of us tonight."

"Oh."

Sakura had not worked with Kamiko alone since the first time they had met. Whether Takahashi had sensed the tension between them, or if it was by pure coincidence that they had not been alone together, Sakura did not know. All she knew was that today she was once again entirely at the mercy of Kamiko Noori with no one to help her out.

_I'll just have to do my best! After all, I came here to work. I don't want to desert Takahashi; she clearly needs me right now. I must find a way to get along with Kamiko-san as best as I can._

"Well now that you're here, you can start work right away." Kamiko said, standing up from where she had been kneeling on the floor. "It's going to be busy today, so I have alot of work for you to do."

"Hai." Sakura replied, as she made her way into the back to change into her uniform.

It was almost closing time when fate decided to intervene.

Sakura was tidying the section near the back of the store; she heard the bell ring signalling that there was a customer in the store. Predictably, she heard Kamiko rush towards the front to greet the customer. Sakura paused for a moment, listening.

"Welcome to Yoshi-cho! How can I help you today?"

"I'm looking for a something for a...friend." It was a deep, masculine voice. Sakura resumed sweeping. _Pfft. Here comes another guy that Kamiko will inevitably flirt with. Well, maybe this guy might be impervious to her charms._ She could only hope.

"We have some lovely gifts right over here!" Kamiko said cheerfully. She led him to an aisle near where Sakura was. She caught a glimpse of messy brown hair before it disappeared down the aisle. There was a moment of silence. Sakura stopped sweeping again, confused at the lack of conversation.

_Kamiko is usually all over the guys that come in here! Unless he's totally repulsive, but I doubt that. Kamiko would have asked me to deal with someone she didn't want to talk to._

Suddenly, she heard Kamiko gasp. Sakura dropped her broom, and hurried towards her. Sakura stopped just shy of the aisle, and peeked around it, not sure what she would find.

"Oh my gosh, It _is _you! I thought you looked familiar!" Kamiko was saying. "We went to school together, remember?"

Sakura breathed a quick sigh of relief that the older girl was ok, and then turned her attention to the guy standing there and giving Kamiko a perplexed look. He was very attractive, with the messy brown hair and intense amber eyes. He was also very tall, and could easily be intimidating if he wanted to be.

_Wait a minute! Those eyes... can it be?_Sakura's heart sped up as she looked into his eyes again. As if sensing her presence, he looked in her direction.

Shocked amber eyes met astonished emerald ones.

"S-syaoran-kun?" She said at the same time he said "Sakura?"

Kamiko looked at them, and then looked back at Syaoran.

"Wait a second... you guys know each other?"

Now Syaoran turned his gaze on Kamiko.

"Yeah. Sakura and I were in the same class back in middle school. You were a few years older than us."

Sakura was completely confused. _How do Syaoran and Kamiko know each other?_

Now Kamiko was looking thoughtful.

"Right... I remember now. You told me about her! _That's why you looked so familiar!_" she suddenly whirled around to face Sakura. "Now I know why I didn't like you!"

"Hoe?" Sakura was completely out of the loop now. She was so completely lost, that she nearly forgot that Syaoran was standing there.

Kamiko was now standing in front of Sakura, who quickly straightened up. She gave the older girl a slightly wary glance.

"You're the reason why Syaoran and I broke up! You stupid, wretched girl!" Kamiko raised a hand to strike Sakura. She closed her eyes, instinctively putting her arms up to shield her face from the blow-

But it never came. Instead, there was another gasp and a low, dangerous voice.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her. Sakura's done _nothing_ wrong."

Sakura opened her eyes.

Syaoran stood in front of her, his hand grasping Kamiko's wrist in a locking hold. Kamiko was wincing at the pain.

"You bitch!" she snarled at the younger girl. "How could you do this to me?"

"Kamiko, let's get one thing straight." Syaoran's voice was still low and dangerous. "We were _never_ dating. I went out on _one_ date with you. You told me you liked me, and I told you I liked someone else. That's all."

"I KNOW IT WAS SAKURA! YOU SPENT ALL YOUR TIME WITH HER!" Kamiko shrieked, trying unsuccessfully to break free of Syaoran's iron grip.

"Sakura was and still is my best friend, which is more than I can say for you. I _never_ want to see you again."

"But Syaoran! I love you!" now Kamiko looked like she was about to cry. Syaoran ignored her.

"Come on Sakura, let's go." He dropped Kamiko's hand and reached for Sakura. In the split second that Kamiko's hand was free, she found Sakura's hair. She yanked as hard as she could, and Sakura fell to the ground, wincing in pain. Kamiko dug her fingers painfully into her scalp.

"You piece of worthless trash! You don't deserve Syaoran!" Sakura whimpered in pain.

"Kamiko!" in one swift move, Syaoran pulled her off Sakura, and secured both of her wrists behind her back. She thrashed and struggled, but it didn't faze him in the least.

"Are you alright?" he asked Sakura. She nodded mutely, gently rubbing the sore spot on her scalp.

"Sakura, I need you to call security."

She got up carefully, trying not to wince at the pain. She made her way to the front of the store with Syaoran and Kamiko following close behind.

The next half hour seemed to drag on forever. After Sakura had made the call, she went and changed the store sign to _Closed._ It was very lucky that no one else had been in the store when the incident had occurred.

Now that Kamiko had been restrained, she was a bit more willing to tell her story.

_Kamiko had met Syaoran when she was fourteen. He was twelve. Kamiko knew there was something special about him the moment she laid eyes on him. _

_ She didn't see him much because they didn't have any classes together, but she would often see him at lunchtime. He normally ate with two girls; one of them had long black hair, and the other had shorter, honey-coloured hair._

_ One day, Kamiko was having lunch and she noticed that Syaoran was by himself. __**This is my chance.**__ She thought. She left her friends and went over to him._

"_Hello. Can I sit with you?" she asked him. He looked up at her. His amber eyes were intense and sent shivers down her spine._

"_Sure." He said. Kamiko sat down next to him._

"_So where are your little friends?" she asked, trying to sound casual._

"_..Around."_

"_I see. Well, do you want to hang out sometime?"_

"_Uh... sure I guess." _

"_Alright! Then I will see you tomorrow!"_

_Syaoran just raised an eyebrow at her. "...Ok..."_

_She smiled at him and jumped up, bounding her way back to her friends. __**What a strange girl.**__ He thought. At this point, Sakura and Tomoyo had arrived._

"_Sorry we're late Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said, plopping herself down next to him. Tomoyo arranged herself more gracefully._

"_Who was the older girl Li-kun?" Tomoyo asked politely. Sakura also gave him a curious look. Syaoran blushed, and immediately felt embarrassed._

"_I dunno." He replied. "Just some girl who wants to go out with me."_

_Sakura's eyes lit up. _

"_Syaoran's going on a date? That's great!"_

_Syaoran looked at her earnest face, and blushed yet again. __**Damn it!**_

"_Uh, yeah. Should be fun." He said.__He couldn't say what he was really feeling; he didn't even know how he felt about things, but he certainly felt weird talking about this stuff with Sakura of all people. He glanced at Tomoyo who smiled serenely._

_**I have a feeling this won't end well...**__ he thought._

_A week had passed; Syaoran went out with Kamiko._

_It was alright as 'dates' went, but Syaoran's heart wasn't in it. For one thing, he hardly knew the girl; for another, he secretly wished that it had been Sakura he was going out with. _

_ Syaoran called Kamiko the day after their date and asked her to meet him at the park. She was there within minutes. He arrived in a timely matter, and they sat together on the bench. For the first few minutes there was silence, and then Syaoran spoke up._

"_Kamiko- there's something I want to tell you." She looked at him with a bright, hopeful expression in her eyes._

"_I said I would go out on a date with you, and I've kept my word, but the truth is...I like someone else."_

_Kamiko looked at him for a moment, and then bent her head slightly to let the curtain of hair shield her face._

"_I see." Was all she said, her voice thick with emotion._

"_I'm really sorry."_

"_It's fine." Abruptly she stood up. "I hope that one day I can be worthy enough to date you. Until then, I guess its goodbye, Syaoran." She ran off, her feet hitting the path with loud slapping noises._

"_Kamiko-san! Wait" Syaoran stood up, but she was too far away now. He watched her rapidly receding figure and sighed. His body felt very heavy as he sat back down on the bench._

_**I'm sorry Kamiko.**_

"You never liked me. You just went out on a date with me out of _pity._" Kamiko's tone was bitter.

"I didn't want to be rude." Syaoran said.

"It would have been easier if you had said no right away! You gave me false hope. And _you_" Kamiko pointed an accusing finger at Sakura, who stood well away from Kamiko's reach, even though she couldn't do anything with Syaoran restraining her.

"Even though I had never officially met you, I knew who you were. I got a bad feeling when I first met you. When you introduced yourself, I remembered your name from somewhere. I couldn't remember where, and it bothered me. It wasn't until tonight that I finally realized why I never liked you. It was because of _him._"

"Kamiko-san-"

There was a knock on the door, and the trio turned to see two security guards standing outside. Sakura hurried over to let them in. After explaining the situation, one of the men took Sakura to the back room to get a statement from her. The other one stayed with Kamiko and Syaoran. The guard turned to look at Syaoran.

"If you don't mind, I need to speak with Miss Noori privately. Can you please wait outside?"

"Actually, I will go and wait at the park. Can you please let Sakura know where I am when she is finished?"

"Yes, I can do that."

"Domo Arigatou."

Syaoran left the store, and the guard turned to Kamiko.

"Now Miss Noori, let's hear your side of the story..."

The moon was a large, shining orb by the time Sakura left the store. She didn't know how long she had been in there, but it had felt like forever. She had given her statement to the security guard who had asked if Sakura had wanted to press charges. Sakura declined; she didn't want to make things more difficult for Kamiko than they already were.

In the end, they gave Kamiko a warning, and recommended she seek counselling. Sakura was then escorted outside. The one man gave her the message from Syaoran, and she now quickly made her way towards the park, hoping he was still there.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him sitting on the bench. He looked so handsome it nearly took her breath away.

"Hello." She said, coming to stand by him.

He gave her a dazzling smile.

"Hi." He replied.

She sat down next to him, fully aware of how close they sat. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So..." she finally said. "You're back huh?" _Baka! Of course he's back or he wouldn't be sitting here!_

Syaoran couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, I'm back."

"Since when?"

"Yesterday actually. I ran into Tomoyo when I was doing some errands."

"_That's_ why she was acting so mysterious! I was wondering about that!" Sakura no longer felt awkward. The time they had spent apart now seemed to have no effect; it was like no time had passed at all.

"Yeah Tomoyo can be quite mysterious when she wants to be."

There was another lapse of silence. Sakura could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"Syaoran?" her voice was quiet. Her face felt hot. _Lovely, i'm blushing._

"Yes, Sakura?" he turned to face her. Her eyes still had the power to dazzle him.

"I was curious about something."

"What?" Unconsciously, Syaoran found himself inching closer to her.

"When Kamiko was talking about how you broke up with her because you said she liked someone else...she said it was me you liked. Was... was that true?" her voice was barely above a whisper now.

Syaoran felt his world tip over. _I guess it's time to tell her the truth. _He reached over and grasped her hand in his. Sakura tried to calm her racing heart.

"Close your eyes." He said. Sakura obeyed, feeling all the nerves in her hand tingle with pleasure. She heard some shuffling, and then felt something being pressed into her hands.

"Ok, open your eyes."

Sakura opened her eyes, and saw the small box in her hands. She gave Syaoran a questioning look.

"Open it."

Sakura carefully opened the box, and gasped. Inside there was a beautiful necklace. There were cherry blossoms interwoven into the delicate silver chain, and at the base of the necklace, a beautiful wolf pendant sat, almost winking at her.

"It's beautiful." She breathed.

"There's something else too." He handed her an envelope. "Happy Birthday."

Sakura took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a beautiful card. It was one she had seen many times at work. It was, in fact, one of her favourite cards. On the front there was a lovely drawing of a wolf sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree. Inside, there was a lovely sentiment, which made Sakura smile every time she read it.

_Your birthday is as pretty as the blossoms on the cherry blossom tree. Don't forget to let loose and celebrate your special day! Happy Birthday!_

There was also a note at the bottom of the card.

_My beautiful Sakura;_

_Happy Birthday. I hope your day is as wonderful and special as you._

_Love Syaoran_

Sakura gasped again as she read his inscription.

"Does that answer your question Sakura?" Syaoran asked. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to him.

"Syaoran-"

"No more words." Syaoran leaned in and kissed her.

Sakura's mind was a jumbled blur of emotions. She thought she was going to explode with all the passion and love she felt for him. She returned his kiss with fervor, and it seemed like they would never break apart...

"OH MY GOSH THIS IS TOO KAWAII!"

The couple instantly broke apart, their faces flushing, as Tomoyo freed herself from the bushes. She stood beside them, her video camera in hand. She looked jubilant.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY CAUGHT SAKURA-CHAN'S FIRST KISS ON TAPE! PINCH ME, I MUST BE DREAMING!"

"T-Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura shook her head at her best friend. Syaoran rolled his eyes. They may have been apart for five years, but some things would never change...

THE END

Hurrah! It's done! It's a miracle!

Ok so translations...

Yoshi Cho loosely translates into Paper Butterflies.

Sumimasen means Excuse me, or Sorry, depending on the situation. In this case, it means Excuse me.

Domo Arigatou is thank you very much.

Nani means what.

Ohayou gozaimasu means good morning.

If i'm missing a translation, please let me know.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the story! I enjoyed writing it!

God Bless! ~CM


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